# 斎

| 斎 | U+658E, &#25998; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-658E |
| ← 斍 [U+658D] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 斏 → [U+658F] |

## Translingual

| Traditional | 齋 |
| Shinjitai | 斎 |
| Simplified | 斋 |

### Glyph origin

Unorthodox variant of 齋.

### Han character

斎 (Kangxi radical 67, 文+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 卜大中一中 (YKLML), composition ⿵齐示 or ⿵斉小)

#### Derived characters

* 𭲍, 𣙮, 𬓖, 𦄴, 𩴚

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 477, character 9
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13467
* Dae Jaweon: page 835, character 8
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 3, page 2170, character 11
* Unihan data for U+658E

## Chinese

* For pronunciation and definitions of 斎 – see 齋 (“to show one's piety before offering sacrifices and other ceremonies in ancient times, by abstaining from meat and alcohol, bathing oneself and clearing one's mind of distracting thoughts; etc.”). (This character is an obsolete form of 齋).

## Japanese

| Shinjitai | 斎 |
| Kyūjitai | 齋 |

### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 齋)
* cleansing, purification
* Buddhist service
* room

#### Readings

* Go-on: せい (sei)、せ (se)
* Kan-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
* Kun: いつき (itsuki, 斎)、いつく (itsuku, 斎く)、いみ (imi, 斎)、いみ (imi, 斎み)、いむ (imu, 斎む)、いもい (imoi, 斎)、いわい (iwai, 斎)、いわう (iwau, 斎う)、つつしむ (tsutsushimu, 斎む)、とき (toki, 斎)、ものいみ (monoimi, 斎)、ゆ (yu, 斎)
* Nanori: いつ (itsu)、きよ (kiyo)、ただ (tada)、ひとし (hitoshi)、よし (yoshi)

#### Compounds

* 斎(さい)王(おう) (saiō)
* 斎(さい)戒(かい) (saikai)
* 斎(さい)宮(ぐう) (saigū)
* 斎(さい)食(じき) (saijiki)
* 斎(さい)主(しゅ) (saishu)
* 斎(さい)女(じょ) (saijo)
* 斎(さい)場(じょう) (saijō, “funeral hall”)
* 潔(けっ)斎(さい) (kessai)
* 山(さん)斎(さい) (sansai)
* 書(しょ)斎(さい) (shosai, “reading room, study room”)
* 斎場(さにわ) (saniwa)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* さい Grade: S
* kan'on
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
From Middle Chinese 齋 (MC tsreaj).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) さい [sáꜜì] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [sa̠i]

#### Noun

斎(さい) • (sai)
* (Buddhism) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

#### Suffix

斎(さい) • (-sai)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

#### Proper noun

斎(さい) • (Sai)
* a female given name
* a surname

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* とき Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
Extension of 時 (toki, “hour, time”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) とき [tòkíꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
* IPA: [to̞kʲi]

#### Noun

斎(とき) • (toki)
* (Buddhism) meals exchanged between priests and parishioners
* (Buddhism) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

##### Derived terms

* お斎(とき), 御(お)斎(とき) (otoki)
* 斎(とき)日(び) (tokibi)

#### Proper noun

斎(とき) • (Toki)
* a female given name
* a surname

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* いつき Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spellings
* 齋 (kyūjitai) 傅 寵
From Old Japanese.
Nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 斎く (itsuku, “to worship”).

#### Noun

斎(いつき) • (itsuki)
* (Shinto) sacred ground
** 720, Nihon Shoki, poem 60:
    破夜歩佐波(はやぶさは)阿梅珥能朋利(あめにのぼり)等弭箇既梨(とびかけり)伊莵岐(いつき)餓宇倍能(がうへの)娑奘岐等羅佐泥(さざきとらさね) [Man'yōgana]
    隼(はやぶさ)は天(あめ)にのぼり飛(と)びかけりいつきが上(うへ)の鷦鷯(さざき)とらさね [Modern spelling]
* (Shinto) Short for 斎皇女 (itsuki no miko): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

##### Derived terms

* 斎(いつき)子(こ) (itsukiko)
* 斎(いつきの)皇女(みこ), 斎(いつきの)王(みこ) (itsuki no miko)
* 斎(いつきの)宮(みや) (itsuki no miya)
* 斎(いつき)女(め) (itsukime)

#### Proper noun

斎(いつき) • (Itsuki)
* a female given name
* a surname

### Etymology 4

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* い Grade: S
* irregular
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
From Old Japanese. Possibly a doublet of 斎 (yu) below.

#### Prefix

斎(い) • (i-)
* (Shinto) added to spiritual nouns to indicate purity and holiness: holy, pure, sacred

##### Derived terms

* 祈(いの)る (inoru)
* 斎(い)垣(がき) (igaki)
* 斎(いも)う (imou)
* 斎(いも)おる (imooru)

### Etymology 5

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* ゆ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
From Old Japanese. Possibly a doublet of 斎 (i) above.

#### Noun

斎(ゆ) • (yu)
* (Shinto) holy, pure, sacred

##### Derived terms

* 齋(ゆ)つ (yutsu)
* 斎(ゆ)庭(にわ) (yuniwa)
* 齋(ゆま)う (yumau)
* 齋(ゆま)わる (yumawaru)

### Etymology 6

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* いみ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)

#### Noun

斎(いみ) • (imi)
* Alternative spelling of 忌み (imi): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

##### Derived terms

* 斎(いみ)斧(おの) (imiono)
* 斎(いみ)子(こ) (imiko)
* 斎(いみ)宮(みや) (imimiya)

### Etymology 7

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* いむ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
Shift from imi above.

#### Noun

斎(いむ) • (imu)
* Synonym of 斎 (imi) (see Etymology 6 above)

##### Derived terms

* 斎(いむ)斧(おの) (imuono)
* 斎(いむ)子(こ) (imuko), 斎(いん)子(こ) (inko)

### Etymology 8

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* いわい Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)

#### Noun

斎(いわい) • (iwai)
* Alternative spelling of 祝い: This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

##### Derived terms

* 斎(いわい)斧(おの) (iwaiono)
* 斎(いわいの)宮(みや) (iwai no miya)
* 斎(いわい)主(ぬし) (iwainushi)

#### Proper noun

斎(いわい) • (Iwai)
* a surname

### Etymology 9

* Kanji in this term
* 斎
* ひとし Grade: S
* nanori
* Alternative spelling
* 齋 (kyūjitai)
Nominalization of classical adjective 等し (hitoshi), modern 等しい (hitoshii, “equal, same”).

#### Proper noun

斎(ひとし) • (Hitoshi)
* a surname
* a male given name

### References

* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 Vovin, Alexander (2020) A Descriptive and Comparative Grammar of Western Old Japanese (2 vols)‎, →ISBN, page 53, →ISBN